After an evening of shocks and surprises the Green Surge continues to roll on.

Caroline Lucas has grown her vote share in Brighton Pavilion by 11%, winning 22,871 votes and retaining her seat.

Across the country, over a million people voted Green – more than four times as many people than at any other General Election.

We came second in four seats, including Bristol West, where Darren Hall received the biggest ever upswing in a General Election in England and Wales – taking the Green vote up 23% to 26.8%.

Greens also retained around 100 deposits and beat the Liberal Democrats in 126 seats. In 2010, they beat them in just one.

Natalie Bennett said: “The Green surge has only just begun. Retaining Caroline Lucas, our wonderful Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and recording at least four second-place finishes puts the Greens firmly on track to make further electoral breakthroughs.”

The election results show that the political landscape has fractured and we now live in an era of multi-party politics where the politics of the future no longer has to look like the politics of the past.

The fact that we have achieved over one million votes yet not been rewarded with more MPs draws into sharp focus just how unfair and outdated our winner-takes-all voting system is.

Caroline Lucas said: “In 2010, Brighton Pavilion showed that a different kind of politics is possible. That you can stand firm by your principles and still be elected.

But there’s not a moment to lose. Amid the most savage, targeted austerity cuts in modern history, and with parties set on wringing ‘every last drop of oil’ from the North Sea, even as climate change accelerates – the urgency of a strong, clear Green voice in Parliament has never been greater.

We will hold Parliament to account and push for real reform – starting with proportional representation, for a politics that looks far more like the people it’s supposed to represent.

And we’ll fight for a fairer, greener future – and justice today.”

With over 1 million Green votes only resulting in a single Green MP please share our call for a fairer more proportional voting system

This year the most important climate talks in history will take place in Paris.

Leaders from around the world will come together to decide the world’s course of action in addressing the most important issue of modern times.

Yet, despite the looming threat of a climate crisis, during this election you could be forgiven for thinking that the threat had lifted.

The truth is, politicians from the other parties simply aren’t speaking about climate change. In fact I was the only party leader to raise the topic during the three and a half hours of Leaders debates.

You and I know both know that the science is unequivocal – fortunately we have the plan to tackle the crisis.

The Green Party is the only party calling for the urgent action required and at the heart of our pledge to protect the environment is our conviction that we must also reconfigure our world to work better for people.

We will cut public transport fares – because everyone should be able to afford to get to where they want to go – and because the air pollution caused by cars is a crisis that must be tackled.

We will invest in home insulation – because no one should fear family members getting ill or even dying from the cold – and because we want to cut carbon emissions.

We will generate 80% of our energy from renewable sources by 2030 – because we know we must leave four-fifths of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

We are using three times as many resources as our planet can sustain – we must change course, and we can.

I, like you, want to leave a better future for our children. I want the next generation to look back on what we did at this time and think ‘my parents generation did something to protect our world’. I want them to be proud of us.

To keep climate change on the agenda and to continue our fight for social justice we must elect more Green MPs.

We can do this if we have a strong Green voice in parliament – but we need your help now more than ever with a Green vote on May 7th.

Thank you,

Natalie Bennett
Leader, Green Party of England and Wales

p.s. Please share this message with someone you know who shares your concerns and urge them to vote Green on May 7th.

Following a very successful meeting at No. 28 in Belper, where the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales spoke to a packed house, we return this Saturday (29th November) for our ‘Green Christmas’.

Come and Celebrate a ‘Green’ Christmas’

The Mid-Derbyshire Greens would like to invite everyone to an afternoon of music, crafts and refreshments from local residents. Come and do a bit of local Christmas shopping, and enjoy some music from your candidates, Green Party members, and other local musicians. There will be an opportunity to chat to us on the Green Party info stall and to ask any questions that you may have.

Following a very successful meeting at No. 28 in Belper, where the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales spoke to a packed house, we return this Saturday (29th November) for our ‘Green Christmas’.

Come and Celebrate a ‘Green’ Christmas’

The Mid-Derbyshire Greens would like to invite everyone to an afternoon of music, crafts and refreshments from local residents. Come and do a bit of local Christmas shopping, and enjoy some music from your candidates, Green Party members, and other local musicians. There will be an opportunity to chat to us on the Green Party info stall and to ask any questions that you may have.

During a visit to Belper on Monday, November 17th, Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, visited Belper School to talk to Sixth Form students. Ms Bennett began by outlining some of the Green Party policies that she thought would be of particular interest to the students, including their policy on student fees (which would be free) and student loans (which would be ‘written off’)

As the meeting moved into a ‘Questions & Answers’ session, it was clear that the students were interested in all Green Party policies, and wanted to really get to know where the Green Party stood on a range of issues. As Natalie said ‘You young people are the voters and leaders of the future, I want to know what you think and how you feel about the world we are living in.

The students were so enthusiastic that the meeting ran over time, with students staying after their school day ended to talk to Ms Bennett. Matthew Genn of the ‘Young Greens’ was also at the meeting, and talked afterwards to students who were interested in finding our more about the Green Party and how young people can get involved. Membership of the ‘Young Greens’ has increased by over 100% in 2014, indicating that young people are feeling that the time is right to re-engage with politics.

During a visit to Belper on Monday, November 17th, Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, visited Belper School to talk to Sixth Form students. Ms Bennett began by outlining some of the Green Party policies that she thought would be of particular interest to the students, including their policy on student fees (which would be free) and student loans (which would be ‘written off’)

As the meeting moved into a ‘Questions & Answers’ session, it was clear that the students were interested in all Green Party policies, and wanted to really get to know where the Green Party stood on a range of issues. As Natalie said ‘You young people are the voters and leaders of the future, I want to know what you think and how you feel about the world we are living in.

The students were so enthusiastic that the meeting ran over time, with students staying after their school day ended to talk to Ms Bennett. Matthew Genn of the ‘Young Greens’ was also at the meeting, and talked afterwards to students who were interested in finding our more about the Green Party and how young people can get involved. Membership of the ‘Young Greens’ has increased by over 100% in 2014, indicating that young people are feeling that the time is right to re-engage with politics.

Belper Greens candidate John Devine was interviewed by BBC TV at the EMGP conference in Nottingham yesterday.

Several members of the Mid Derbyshire Greens attended the conference which had over three times as many people as expected turn up! This really reflects the overall surge in local Green Party membership as well as nationally – which has grown to more than 25,000, with the number of young greens more than doubling! This has a lot to do with young voters increasingly wanting to make their voices heard on the subjects of austerity, education and the Citizens Income.

Natalie Bennett, the leader of the Green Party will be visiting Belper tomorrow (Monday 17th Nov) to meet with students studying Government and Politics at Belper School & Sixth Form Centre and to later host a public meeting and Q&A session at No. 28 in the Belper Market Place (7 pm until 8:30 pm – All welcome).

Please contact John Devine (07932 576159) or Sue MacFarlane (07774 004240) for more details. Both candidates will be present at tomorrow’s public meeting.